Fortuity
by zeldris
Summary: Nothing could be complicated about falling in love over Tumblr, right? au. gruvia. request.
1. jay

_Right,_ she typed eagerly, not missing a beat of excitement. _Finally a tumblr update that's actually useful!_

She bit the inside of her cheeks and exited the chat box, absent-mindedly checking her activity page and sighing, because truthfully, all she was waiting for was the notification that he had responded.

Of course, lately her thoughts had _all_ revolved around him. She had admired him from afar – his photography was absolutely breathtaking, the most gorgeous, simplistic, but at the same time complex views of nature. A goddamn picture of a _leaf_ he took almost brought her to tears.

She couldn't quite remember how her half-assed music blog with lame, minimalist quotes (yes, she was that kind of person) had stumbled across his complete and utter prowess – but she had been star-struck instantly, and awkwardly followed him, hoping in shame that she would stay a shadow forever.

Unfortunately for her, the person who ran the blog had a thing for awkward blogs with awkward tags and awkward everything, because it only took him a few minutes to follow back.

So anyways, that was a short record of the day she died. Moving on from then, she somehow braved replying to a post he made in early October of the vapor spewing out of a person's mouth like smoke, and she was so mesmerized she typed something rather legible like hgfdfghjk and hit reply.

Apparently he found that pretty hilarious, so he replied right back with similar keyboard-smash speak.

Finding that inherently adorable, she sprouted courage and actually sent him a one-on-one message, guiltily admitting how much she admired his work and wished she could see a lot more of it more often.

That was probably what sparked their friendship – randomness, and it's exactly what kept it alive, from her obsession with everything caramel flavored to his complete and utter hatred for the word 'moist', they bonded over the stupidest and randomest facts she'd ever imagined.

And she was _really, really dumb_ for it.

She should've known that internet crushes would be twice as painful as ones in real life.

Hell – she didn't even know what he _looked_ like – and yet, she didn't _care_.

The response popped up and she felt herself grin.

She eagerly clicked the icon and was about to read what he had messaged her when she heard a loud door slam from outside. Damn neighbors, always yelling over the most trivial of things.

She rolled her eyes and began to read.

 _It is a first – that's for damn sure. Forgot to tell you that I'm working on something 4 you. ;)_

Her heart nearly climbed out of her throat and announced its retirement at the winking smiley face. Now that was just too cruel. And he was working on something…for her?

She typed slowly and shakily, unsure of her words.

 _Really? But I'm so lame :,)_

There. Just self-deprecating enough to sound sincere. Or at least, that was how her twisted logic worked.

His answer came sooner than she would've thought.

 _Nah, if you were lame, I wouldn't associate myself with you :p. just kidding, but I gotta run if I wanna get this op done by tonight. Hope you'll like it._

Her heart pounded and she tried her best to type a reply.

 _Aaaaahhh! You're killing me you know. Bye bye!_

Her fingers shook as she hit send. He was so artistic, it was almost shameful that she was close friends with him now. She shut her laptop to kick her legs around like an excited infant and squeal. Talking to him always made her feel that way, elated and excited at every moment.

A second door slam interrupted her thoughts and she lazily cast her glance to the neighbors backyard, which she had a perfect view of from her bedroom window. The neighbor boy, Gray Fullthruster or something stupid, some passive aggressive jock who only cared about satisfying his inherent lust for attention. Boys like him made her sick, he only bothered to spare her a withering look in the school hallways, the same pained, I'm-too-good-for-this-world look he gave every other girl who could see straight through his shallow façade.

Enough about that – what was weird was how he was walking.

Slouched low, with a drawstring bag on his back, he wandered back into the back of his fence and nimbly leapt over it, not missing a beat and pulling off a move that would've no doubt killed Juvia if she would've tried it. He then wandered off into the woods that were familiarly seated in the back of their neighborhood, and disappeared.

Probably going to jerk off to some Nike Elites.

She laughed at her own joke and wrote it down into her notebook, got she was disgustingly shady.

Her eyes continuously wandered back to her computer, begging her to check and see if her favorite blogger had responded yet. She even had several arguments with herself about obsessively checking her tumblr for replies, starting with the main fact that it was _creepy_ and she was in _no way a stalker._ She was just…enthusiastic. Yup. That was the word.

Right. Just….stall.

She began reading pages from the newest novel she had picked up from the bookstore, but her thoughts still strayed from the important.

The next thing to distract her, god knows how long, her sense of time had been warped since the start of school, was the sound of crunching leaves outside. Damn. She'd forgotten to close the window all the way again.

Just as she was about to seal it shut, her eyes snagged her neighbor hopping over the fence, wielding an interesting looking black colored box…almost like…a camera?

Weird/ Her nose wrinked in suspicion. She never pegged him as the photographer type – scratch that, she hadn't pegged him as anything but a self-absorbed douchebag. Maybe he was just out there to take artistic nudes.

She giggled again and reached to retrieve her notebook after she shut the window completely. She didn't have to worry about her neighbor anymore, she had better things to do.

Speaking of better things…

Her eyes flicked to the computer and she bit her lip.

One check couldn't hurt, right?

.

.

.

 _I'm almost finished with your gift._

Her heart hammered in her chest and she began giggling hysterically.

 _Is that so? You're the worst, you're killing me with anticipation xD_

She twirled a lock of her hair to distract herself while waiting for an answer.

 _Haha, if I'm the worst, then you're a masochist :) anyways, I'll post it right now, hope you're ready~_

She typed back right away.

 _Can't wait, G._

Right. Because he insisted that she call him G, so in turn, instead of telling him that her name was Juvia, she decided to go by Jay. Ha-ha. Get it? J? Cute.

Besides that fact – she was _so_ ready. She hit the home button and began refreshing like a crazy woman.

Then, it appeared.

It was a photo of a dry, old tree, bare of its leaves in the fall, surrounded by dull orange and brown colors that mingled with the fall colorscheme well, all topped off with the fading orange sunset behind the tree.

And then, as if her heart could take any more beauty abuse from G, there was a word etched into the tree, sloppily, like it had been done ages beforehand.

 _Jay_.

"Holy shit," she said aloud. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy _shit_ -"

She almost threw her computer on the ground in surprise. Her breath was taken away, it was so simple, so elegant, like it told a story of two friends carving each others name into the tree, a sacred keepsake that told a thousand words, even though just three letters were etched into the surface.

 _For my friend Jay - watersoblivion – you never fail to make me smile, so I hope this can do the same for you._

Juvia began wheezing, fanning herself from the newfound heat erupting from her cheeks.

"Oh my god. oh my god. I can't believe this. I can't _believe-_ "

She accidentally let out a loud shriek before covering her lips hastily. It was dark out already, it tended to go that way up north in the fall, but she suspected that someone must have heard her.

Like the earth was reading her thoughts, her tool neighbor opened his window with a slam. She walked over to hers and cracked it open just a tiny smidge, just to make shure he wasn't about to cuss her out.

"Keep it down you psycho!"

Pleasant, Gray. Really pleasant.

"Only if you put on some pants, toolbox!" She shouted back by accident. Why the hell wasn't he wearing a shirt anyways? Not to mention the only clothing he was actually donning was a pair of boxers. She shut the window and watched him jump like he had been electrocuted at the sight of his own skin. Served him right, weirdo.

She went straight back to her instant messenger and slammed her fingers against the keyboard, hitting caps lock and not caring at all. Her endless spew of letters should serve to show him how much she appreciated his small affectionate gesture.

 _I take it you liked it then? I'm glad, haha. I was worried it was a little too weird._

 _HOW,_ she typed back, fingers hitting a few spare letters so it turned out a bit more like _HJOOWE._

 _Well, that's good. Anyways, I have to go because my brother is shaming me for notdoing chores, talk to you tomorrow, Jay._

She inhaled and exhaled erratically. This wasn't ok. Yes. Wait, it was! No….it wasn't….this boy was breaking her heart.

 _I'll see you tomorrow…if I'm not dead, you sadist :c_

She clicked off her computer and screamed into her pillow.

Ok…so maybe there were a _few_ benefits to crushing on an internet boy…

.

.

.

"Shitshitshit…" Juvia mumbled, half a sandwich in her mouth as she dashed outside, ten minutes later than she should've left.

Considering her car had broke down and her parents were AWOL, she had to walk – no, _run_ – to school, with the hopes that she wouldn't get the final tardy which would result in detention, which she _really didn't_ have the patience for.

Making a split-second decision, she turned and attempted to hop her backyard fence like she had watched Gray do two nights before. It didn't go so well, and her pant leg became entangled with the metallic chain fence she so despised.

After a solid minute of tugging and pain, she began her way through the woods, ignoring slashes of branches against her cheeks and bare arms, a stupid decision on her part.

She gave one last glance to her house before running full speed ahead – and _that_ was when she saw it.

"What the-" she stopped short and studied the abrasion. A single tree had caught her attention – standing still and completely leafless, nothing special, nothing special at all.

Save for the three, jagged letters harshly cut into the bark.

 _Jay_

"No fucking way," she spoke, touching the engraved word and inhaling sharply. "It can't…It's gotta be fake…"

G had followers, maybe someone tried to copy him?

She took a small step back to examine the work of art. Sure enough, the angle, sky, and leaves all matched the picture.

G lived in Magnolia.

They'd never spoken about where they lived before, it _could_ be possible….

"No _way_ ," she gasped, eyes trained on the telltale word with only one phrase repeating over and over again in her frazzled mind.

"I'm so screwed."

* * *

 **two-shot, maybe? anyways, for those of u still wondering if im alive, im currently 2k words into chap 3 of dusk to dawn, and 1k words into the new chapter of act my age. bare with me guys, im having some outside issues preventing me from updating, just trust me on this one, ok ^_^?**


	2. g

Juvia considered herself a reasonable girl - she had the occasional nervous breakdown, would opportunely indulge herself in sinful sweets, and perhaps even once in awhile assume to guiltily watch hallmark tv shows about shameless romance in the 19th century.

But this - this was too far. She was at her wit's end.

Her fingers obediently traced the word carved into the tree - _Jay_ , just three letters, that held the utmost importance to her. It was silly. Or was it?

Yes, of course it was! Obsessing over three little letters in a tree was stupid and immature.

She pulled her hand away testily and touched the pads of her fingers against one another, hoping some of the artistic value G had left behind while carving the tree would wear off. The letters haunted her, a faded memory of something she could never have.

She had a crush on G. A pretty massive one, at that. But crushes fade. She'd never seen G, all she knew about him were pointless little facts...like how much creamer he liked in his coffee, and how much he despised shallow people, and how he loved afternoon photoshoots when the sun hit the leaves and created the most beautiful atmosphere a camera could capture…

Juvia rested her forehead against the tree and let out a bitter, dramatic moan. She was in much deeper than she had initially planned.

The letters, still burned in her memory, meant so much to her. Which was sad. A few scratches in a tree making her feel worthwhile? Ridiculous.

She moved her forehead off of the tree and sighed, unsatisfied. She'd never know who G was.

Just before she could turn around and head back to her house to complete the calculus homework she'd been avoiding for some time now, she heard the distinct crunching of leaves from a distance away. Great. Hopefully it was a bear that would maul her and put her out of her damn misery.

She turned around with a fourth of the enthusiasm she had used to get to the tree in the first place and froze in her tracks, as did the approaching person stoically.

He stood only about ten feet away, but looked just as horrified as she did at being discovered.

Gray 'fuckboy' Fullbuster didn't seem like the kind of guy to hang around the woods late in the afternoon. In fact, if it was any earlier in the day, she would've assumed that he was on his way to 4:20 himself into oblivion, but it was almost seven o'clock, a bit late for that sort of thing.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked him harshly, turning her back to the carved tree protectively.

"I could ask you the same thing!" He bit back with a similar hostility.

"If you're looking for a good place to strip and get high, go back to your goddamn house!" Juvia warned him, for some odd reason she felt like he was contaminating the woods with his stupid presence. Like any magic G may have left there would evaporate if Gray took in a single breath.

"Strip and get high? What the hell are you talking about?" He asked sharply. "God, you're so presumptuous and shallow!"

 _Shallow_? She drew herself back, unintentionally hurt by his words. How could someone as shallow as him call _her_ shallow? Adding onto that shame was the memory that G hated shallow people, and she was under no circumstances shallow.

She made an uncomfortable scoffing noise and folded her arms over her sweater. "Whatever, I don't care. Just tell me what you're doing here."

His lips curled into a scowl, one she knew to be all too familiar. He was so damn condescending. Probably a pisces.

"I'm just...goin' out for a walk…" he dug his feet into the leaves, in the guilty way that led her to believe that he was lying.

"Look...if you've got some love shack out here and I'm interrupting a date, just tell me and I'll go." She said coldly. His eye twitched in annoyance.

"Look, I don't give a damn who you think you are. What is this, our first actual conversation, ever? What the fuck gives you the right to make all these stupid assumptions about me - you don't even know me!" He shouted at her. She opened her mouth for a quick and witty response, but swallowed it just as quickly as it had come.

Because...he was a little bit right.

Despite living next to him for many years, they'd never actually conversed, at least not more than a few sentences each. She'd only witnessed, granted, what she'd witnessed was a rude, arrogant, non-creative meninist who hated progression - but there was a slight possibility she'd misjudged him.

Swallowing her pride, she wrung her hands and nodded. "Um...you're right...sorry, I guess."

His expression softened, but only momentarily. She heard the drawstring bag on his back tighten, signifying he was loosening himself up and letting his stance lower.

"I'm goin' out for a walk," he repeated, still a blatant lie, but Juvia decided she'd let it slide. "And I don't suppose you'll tell me what _you're_ doing out here-"

"Admiring the scenery." She clarified, clicking her nails against the tree bark. "I just love the evening lighting on the trees."

His face moved, a look of curious surprise, before he wiped it off, trying to hide his clear interest.

"Well that's...awful girly." He concluded with a scoff. Juvia's face fell. Back to square one.

"You're awful defensive. No wonder the only girls who want to date you are the ones who care more about the color of their phone case than their emotions." She fired at him crisply. She didn't miss the look of dire resentment on his face - as if he knew it to be true.

"You're awful judgmental for a girl who acts so high and mighty. You think you're better than me? Why don't you sit down and-"

"I never said that!" She interjected hotly. "I don't think I'm _better_ than you! I just think you're ridiculous and all you care about is how many notches on your belt you can get before you graduate!"

His eyes narrowed, they were dark, and stormy. He had always had a reputation of the mysterious, brooding bad boy - impossible to read, by any standards. Even Juvia could hardly tell what he was thinking underneath the brewing storm above his head.

"So that's what you think of me." he finished, a clincher worthy of a superhero movie. "You've got me all figured out, don't you, Juvia?"

That's funny. She tilted her head to the side - surprised that he actually knew her by her first name. He'd never bothered to call her by it before, it was a worthy assumption.

"You haven't given me much else to go on," she admitted, and he only let out a bitter, curt laugh.

"Well then. I hope your evening is as _lovely_ as mine." He sinisterly bid her farewell, leaves crunching underfoot as he walked past her wordlessly. He passed by so close she could smell him - like evergreens and firs. He was gone before she could word anything - an apology, a wish, a dream. She suddenly felt a surge of guilt. maybe Gray Fullbuster had feelings after all, and wasn't a male robot designed in a laboratory by horny fourteen year olds.

She turned to say something to him, but was silenced by the bulk and shape of his drawstring bag - there were sticks in it, almost as if he was planning on pitching a mini tent.

But, right next to it, was the unmistakable shape of a hyper-expensive camera.

 _A camera_? The thought echoed in her head the whole way home, as her hands shook from the tension of merely arguing with him. He had left her breathless - not exactly in the good way, but in the anxious oh-my-god-what-have-I-done way.

A camera, she thought, as her thoughts of G subsided and she was suddenly overcome with uninvited, invasive thoughts of Gray Fullbuster, the abrasive boy next door with no manners and a startlingly powerful presence.

And things got a _lot_ more complicated.

.

.

.

It had been almost a week since she'd last messaged G. Ever since her impromptu fight with Gray, she just couldn't bring herself to open Tumblr and wave her problems away with the swish of her hand.

Instead, she indulged herself in journal writing, and keenly observed the activities of the boys next door.

Now - keep in mind that this was in _no way, shape or form,_ stalking.

Just observations. She did, after all, hail from next door. She caught more details than the average person would, it seemed.

Lyon, the eldest brother, and Gray, fought. A lot. Not in the healthy argh-you-frustrate-me kind of sibling fights she had always yearned for, but in the I-can't-wait-to-get-out-of-this-hellhole-so-I-don't-have-to-see-your-face-again sense that sent shivers up her spine. She couldn't imagine having that much pent up anger and sadness about one person. It was strange.

After every fight with Lyon, Gray would slam the sliding door to his house harshly and loudly, a resounding _clack_ and his mother's complaints to shut the door quieter would be lost to him as he marched across the yard towards the woods, and hopped the fence with ease - drawstring bag and other items along with him.

And so, mysterious Gray got even more mysterious.

At school, he didn't flirt around with girls as much as they did him - not that Juvia had a problem with excessive flirting, but when it became artificial, it annoyed her to pieces. Gray was reserved, steady. Silent. Broody as ever, but not mean or evil, as she had depicted him in her mind from every day before her little...dispute with him.

After that much observation, she figured she deserved a break.

Three messages from G. A flood of guilt rushed through her system and she clicked the notifications bar desperately.

First message. _hey there lady, hope you're doin well and you aren't too hung up on my photo for you. i got some stuff i want you to proof and tell me if it's good or not, kay?_

Damn. She'd missed an opportunity to review his gorgeous photos. Strike one.

Second message. _i take it you're probably asleep. getting that nap marathon in about now, right? anyways. i got some shit i want to rant to you about, it's pretty hilarious. so many people are so quick to judge everyone around them. looks like its me and you versus the world, eh?_

Strike two. That was pretty adorable. Her stomach angrily churned at her for missing the chance, but she read on nonetheless.

Third message. _hey, are you ok? you've been dead for a bit, hoping you're safe and sound. -G_

Of course he'd signed it with G. Asshole. he was too cute for his own good.

Hurriedly typing up an apology and a half assed excuse involving homework, she sent him a message and went to stalk his blog to see what kinds of stuff he'd posted since.

Of course everything he'd done was positively stunning - but there was something astonishingly different about all of his photos.

They were red.

Well - not red, so to speak, but she could tell they were themed red. The edges of the leaves on the ground. The hint of color in the sunset The tinge of redness in the bark of an evergreen tree. Red wasn't really one of G's main colors it was odd to see him so fixated on the color in her he was particularly upset about something - he'd told her once about basing color schemes off of his moods.

It was also odd to think that most of the photos G was taking were all occurring in Magnolia - maybe even feet from her own house. Was there a possibility he knew G?

Her mind flashed to the camera strapped to Gray's back and she almost laughed out loud. Him? No _way_. G was probably some nerdy glasses kid who enjoyed the back of a classroom and his face buried in a good book - not surrounding himself with ravishingly attractive women and practically ignoring their advances.

The message button popped up and she clicked it eagerly to see Gs reply.

 _hey! good to see you're not dead, had me worried there for a sec. :p._

Adorkable. She just wanted to hide him in her purse and keep him there for eternity.

She sucked in a breath. Like that wasn't weird.

She was about to type up a response when she heard yelling from next door. Her interest piqued, and she lowered her computer screen and leaned over to investigate.

"Gray! Where the fuck are my basketball shoes?"

"I don't fuckin' know, Maybe Ul has them!"

"Why the fuck would Ul have my men's sized basketball shoes? And for christ's sake, put a damn shirt on!"

Juvia's eyes flicked across the window into Gray's room, where a very cut young man tiredly put on a white t-shirt and banged his head against his closet door. She felt a surge of pity for him. He put up with a lot of shit.

"Fine. Happy Lyon? I got a shirt. Now quit whining and leave me _alone-_ "

"Would you stop being such a whiny pissbaby all the time? Get off your computer and go work out. And quit it with the camera, you're just wasting your time."

Juvia heard a door slam shut and watched Gray lean against the wall, before quickly turning and punching it several times. She lifted a hand over her mouth involuntarily and felt like crying. This was his family life? This was what the famous, bastard Gray Fullbuster had to look forward to when he got home?

Sure, it was no little Orphan Annie level sob story, but _still_. She could never imagine…

Her eyes must've pitifully lingered on his window for a moment too long, because he rapidly swung around and full on _glared_ from across the way at her, eyes like slits even from a distance. he was angry - probably angry that she'd just witnessed what may as well be his greatest weakness. He slammed the blinds shut in an instant and she drew herself back to her computer, seeking solace in G.

 _yup, im not dead! just busy, but im looking forward to stalking your blog bc i could use some aesthetics of yours right now…_

She hit send and rested her hand on her forehead, expecting to wait a few minutes for his reply. Instead, his response came close to immediately.

 _is it sad to say i missed you?cuz i did. youre the only tolerable one. seems like lately everyones out to piss me off. ad if youre looking for aesthetics i got a bundle of sunset ones to show you - but other than that i wanted to ask your opinion on something._

Her hands froze at the keyboard, wanting to type something as fast as she could and send it. But she needed restraint. She didn't want G thinking she was an insane fangirl, now did she?

Well...at least, any _more_ of an insane fangirl than she already was.

 _its not sad at all! i missed you too! and fire away, im always open for critiquing._

What she did with G couldn't really be classified as critiquing, however, because every single time, she had failed to find a flaw in his gorgeous art. It was simply breathtaking, and he never failed to astonish her with his hidden talent.

 _awesome. so lately, ive been thinking about the work i do, and it all seems sort of...repetitive. idk. i wanted to try something different, and i got sort of...inspired recently._

She read G's message over and prompted him to go on.

 _and…?_

 _and...i was thinking about trying to do portrait photography. ive never tried it, but i kind of found someone with a certain...look, i dont know, its just completely unique. gorgeous. i want to take her photo...i want to capture her on a camera. and i know that sounds really lame and weird, and that i mostly major in landscape, nature and wildlife, but...there's just something about this girl. i have to photograph her._

Her eyes skimmed the block of text. Once. Twice. Three times. Over and over again until her eyes hurt.

A girl. A _girl -_ of _course_ , he would find another girl. What was she even saying? Another girl? He didn't have a girl in the first place! She was just playing delusions over in her head, like a silly, hopeful, broken record.

Despite the inner turmoil, she knew she had a distinct answer for him.

 _of course you should try it! im sure whatever you do will turn out amazing! just make sure you have this girl's consent, alright? you sound a tiny bit like a serial killer without it._

She wiped her eyes after hitting send. G had found the picture perfect girl. The one he deserved - the one that would light up his camera and his eyes every time he saw her. He deserved every bit of it.

When the tears finally started to fall freely, well, that's when she knew how screwed she really was.

 _thanks jay, you always know how to make me feel good. been having a pretty shit day, but i think ill work up the courage to ask her tomorrow. love you lots._

She choked. Love you lots. Was there anything more painful he could tell her? Perhaps - _you'll never be good enough, Juvia?_ Or, better yet, _no one will ever truly love you_?

"Great," she sobbed. "Great."

.

.

.

Juvia felt like dying. She didn't really have much going for her, currently. She was two days late on turning in her persuasive paper in for her english class, she got a D- on her Math test, and G had smashed her heart with a pipe and spread its ashes throughout a field of burning corpses like an angel of death.

Feeling especially bittersweet, he made the evening trip to the _Jay_ tree just as the sunset had begun. She hadn't bothered to ask him where in Magnolia he resided, or even whether or not he lived in Magnolia. She felt it would be in vain, especially seeing how he had his hand halfway down the pants of whatever mystery girl had caught his artist's eye.

She should've known she would never stand a chance with someone as vibrant, as bright as him. He was a star, and she was just a sailor lost at sea, following him in hopes of finding her home.

If only she would've relied on her compass rather than her heart.

She chipped her pale silver moonlight colored nail polish on the jagged letters in the tree, not caring enough to spare all the hard work that had went into decorating them. What was good in life anyway. She had nothing left, only her grades, and a few terrible jokes to serve as her legacy in a scratched up notebook underneath her drawer.

Then, like the haunted memories of a far-off dream, the crunching of leaves behind her brought back sour memories from the last time she'd lingered too long at the scene of the crime.

She stood up straight before turning to investigate, already knowing exactly who the culprit was and wanting to look less apprehensive than last time. She was a full-grown, self-sustaining woman. She could go a day without making herself the fool in front of Gray Fullbuster.

"Hello." She said, at the exact same time he said "hi".

Off to a... _great_ start. As usual.

"Uh...sorry." He motioned her to go on. She had almost nothing to say, and spoke the first dumb thing to come to her mind.

"I think The Lion King is overrated." She babbled, hand falling behind her head as she shrugged in exasperation. "I mean...it's good, but...there's just so many other better ones, y'know? If I really wanted to see a lion murder hierarchy, I could watch Animal Planet."

He blinked once. Twice. She could count the breaths in between each breath, one too many for comfort. She had succeeded in killing the conversation stone-dead before it had even come to life. Nice one Juvia.

One thing she noticed about Gray's appearance that was different, however, was his camera.I was slung over his front, like he was a real photographer. Like he was unafraid to reveal to her the true reason he was in the woods. Interesting.

"So, I was hoping I'd see you here." He introduced after clearing his throat briefly.

"You...were?" That was odd. Hopefully he wasn't here to exchange the prospects of various STDs, because she was _not_ about to fuck Gray Fullbuster in the woods just because he was very very hot and attractive. She held herself to a higher standard, no. He'd at _least_ have to take her out to dinner, first. Then sex in the forest.

"Yes, I uh…" he pulled his camera up and shifted it. "I was out to take pictures, and...wow… this is…" he breathed in. She stared at him blankly.

"I wanna take your picture!" He blurted out.

Juvia jumped back and felt herself take a few steps backwards. Creep alert. _Creep alert._

"No! No, wait! That came out wrong - sorry." He apologized, shaking his head vigorously. "look, look. See the sky?" He pointed his finger up and her gaze followed, the pink and orange stained deep blue imprinting in her mind like the blueprints for the heavens. She subconsciously smiled, and he mirrored her awe.

"Beautiful." He whispered, and she looked back at him again to calculate what the deep, investigating look in his eyes meant.

"It is," she agreed. Although with the depth and darkness of his eyes, she couldn't quite tell what, or _whom_ , he was directing the compliment towards.

"Listen. There's the sky, the colors, the tree, the leaves, and then there's…" he trailed off, trying to find the right words. "...there's you. You're in there, somewhere. I don't get it, I really don't. You just...fit, and I want to take your picture. I want to capture your essence on my camera. I...I want you to be my model."

Before she could think for even a fleeting second about his offer and how out of character this was for Gray, she almost pulled back and retched up whatever she'd eaten for the past 17 years.

Gray. Gra. Gr. G.

Gray was G.

Gray the photographer. G the photographer. G in Magnolia. Gray in Magnolia.

G across a lifetime. Gray across the way.

G was Gray. Gray was G.

"Holy shitbaskets full of garbagefucks," she whispered to herself, Gray voicing his concern as she clutched her stomach, doubled over like she'd been struck with a sudden bout of malaria.

"Are you...ok? I mean, you can say no, of course! I just.." he breathed out. "I _really_ hope you say yes, because-"

"You're…" she coughed a few times, unsure of herself, and yet still more sure than she'd ever been in her entire life. "You're G."

"I'm what?" He ghosted, taking a few cautious steps towards her worriedly. "Juvia, what are you going on about? Are you ok? Do you want me to take you back?"

"I can't believe it," she said hollowly. "You're G. You're _fucking_ icedshell."

"Icedshell?" He repeated the url, before his stormy dark eyes widened. "How did...how did you know that…?"

"I'm...I'm Jay." She laughed, she couldn't believe it herself. "I'm here. I'm here"

"You're here." He reiterated, grabbing a fistful of his hair and forcefully hitting his back on a tree trunk, sinking low to the forest floor with an uncomfortable groaning crunch of the dead leaves underfoot. "You're here. You've always been here."

"Talk to me," Juvia said. "Talk to me, Gray."

He looked up, his eyes had always hid a torrid hurricane, dark and fierce and untameable. Juvia had always feared them - perhaps that was why she'd judged him so quickly, how it had been so easy for her to classify him with the flick of her wrist. Maybe that was why instead of diggging below the surface, into the eye of the storm, she'd merely stayed on the outside, silently evaluating and critiquing.

G was here, and so was Gray. And she loved both of them - at that point in time, she just _knew._ He was there.

 _Talk to me_ , she said again in her head. He looked up from the place where his head had been resting comfortably in between his knees.

"Juvia." He said her name, a small smile across his lips like he enjoyed the way it tasted, "You're here."

"I'm here." She told him. The sun sunk below the horizon line.

The storm had passed. Now, was the period of rebirth.

"Gray?" She asked, voice cracking from stress.

He only blinked and widened his smile.

"Do you think The Lion King is overrated?"

 _Talk to me._

And he did.

.

.

.

 **the end.**

 **i know this ending is kinda different from what i usually do, but im workshopping new writing techniques so its fully intentional.**


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